2.20.2015

Angry Reader of the Week: Mona Concepcion

"I was very good at school but not so much at adulthood."

Hello, friends. It's time again to meet the Angry Reader of the Week, spotlighting you, the very special readers of this website. Over the years, I've been able to connect with a lot of cool folks, and this is a way of showing some appreciation and attention to the people who help make this blog what it is. This week's Angry Reader is Mona Concepcion.

Who are you?

Hi! My name is Mona Concepcion, a stand-up comic located in Seattle, WA.

What are you?

I am the world's only female Chamorro comedian. That makes me half Pacific Islander, half unicorn. I am a mom of two young boys, a blogger since 1999 and a generally nice person.

Where are you?

In the suburbs of Seattle, always dreaming of warmer places.

Where are you from?

I'm from a small island in the Pacific called Saipan. It's a US Territory and part of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. It's a tiny blip on the radar that sometimes gets mentioned in WWII movies or the Amelia Earhart episode of Unsolved Mysteries. I talk about it as much as I can on stage because it immediately connects me to a place that is physically so far away from me. I talk about what it is to be Chamorro and the daughter of a woman who doesn't speak English very well but loves JC Penney. Even if you don't know where Saipan is, most people can relate to feeling out of place or having an eccentric mom who tells you to change outside the dressing room because no one's looking. Maybe that's just me.

What do you do?

I make people laugh. I host and produce comedy showcases around Seattle. I have been a standup comic for three years now. I was very good at school but not so much at adulthood. Luckily, I found this strange and thrilling thing called standup. I sling punchlines about my identity and gripes and what I find funny and people can't ignore me when I have the mic. I carry a lot of worry -- will this be funny, do I look like a sassy loan officer -- but then when the first laugh comes, it's a relief and a rush and something that keeps me fiending for more stage time.

I have also blogged at kirida.com (its English url is heymona.com) since I was 17 years old, before blogging was cool. Kirida means favorite girl in my native language and I am the youngest of five kids, so I am the favorite by default.

What are you all about?

Working hard and being nice to people. Being authentic. Makeup that is on point. Teaching my sons to be mindful of others and to be kind as siblings because family is so important so please don't kick each other so hard and hug it out, now.

I am about finding humor in everything and knowing when to tell a joke and when to take one. My kids are the only ones at their school who can say, "Your mom is an accountant? Well my mom tells jokes."

What makes you angry?

Racists. Unchecked privilege. Misogynists. Audience members who mean mug and angrily eat their nachos me while I'm on stage. People who post too many inspirational quotes or "gymflow!" hashtags. Anyone who has said, "Wow, your English is so good," or "Why do you have to make it about race?" or "You're funny for a woman." People who demonize and stereotype minorities and mothers and everything I am about. It's good to feel angry, it gives me a lot of material.